It’s normal to experience post-traumatic stress if you’ve been the victim of a crime.
Immediately after the incident, you might feel shock, fear, numbness, confusion, or a combination of overwhelming emotions.
The range of emotions crime victims experience is unlimited, and they vary from fear to guilt and depressive thoughts.
Such an event can overwhelm your nervous system and trigger PTSD. Traumatic stress often leaves people feeling vulnerable and helpless and thinking they live in a dangerous world where no one can protect them.
It’s normal to feel emotionally and physically drained, overcome with grief, and be unable to relax, sleep, focus on your daily chores, and exit the fight or flight state. This is an abnormal response to dealing with an abnormal situation.
Depending on the kind of crime you’ve been a victim of, the unsettling feelings and thoughts will fade as you get specialised help and your life slowly returns to normal. However, you shouldn’t just wait for the consequences of the catastrophic event to pass. You should take some proactive steps in your recovery.
What is a traumatic event?
Before diving into strategies to cope with traumatic events, it’s essential to define what they are so that you can figure out if your state results from one. The average individual deals with numerous traumatic events throughout their life. A traumatic event could include:
- – A severe injury
- – Thinking you’re going to die
- – Seeing someone die
- – Being the victim of assault or another kind of crime
Crime victims are usually exposed to traumatic events in one of the following ways:
- – Learning – they found out that someone close to them was the victim of a crime
- – Witnessing – they saw what happened to someone else
- – Directly – they were the direct victim of the traumatic event
- – Repeated exposure – they have been exposed to the same or different traumatic events several times.
Common types of traumatic events:
- – Severe accident
- – Witnessing a violent death
- – Complicated childbirth experience
- – Conflict or war
- – Terrorist attack
- – Sexual or physical assault
What symptoms do people usually have after being involved in a traumatic event?
Regardless of the extent of the traumatic event, it’s normal to feel scared, anxious, and confused. Suppose you experienced severe injuries. Your future might be uncertain, and you don’t know when you can get back to work because your recovery could take a long period. The stress associated with the crime you’ve been subjected to, overwhelms your nervous system and triggers a series of physical and emotional reactions. The PTSD symptoms can range from mild to intense and often come and go in waves. Be patient with yourself and ensure that you get the needed help.
A list of common emotional symptoms caused by traumatic events
- – Shame. Often crime victims feel an overwhelming shame because it happened to them.
- – Disbelief and shock. Sometimes crime victims find it difficult to accept the reality of what happened. Therefore, they might be shocked, refuse to admit it, or numb for a period.
- – Guilt. Suppose they were involved in an accident; the survivors might feel guilty because they’re the only ones alive or that they didn’t do more to help the others.
- – Fear. Traumatic event victims often are afraid they’ll go through the same episode again, which often makes them break down and lose control.
- – Anger. Sometimes people also feel angry at someone else, like the authorities or God, because they’ve been put through a traumatic event.
- – Grief and sadness. In case someone they loved died in an accident, people feel sadness and grief because they lost someone.
- – Helplessness. The violent nature of crimes like assault can leave you feeling helpless and vulnerable, which could cause depression and anxiety in the long run.
A list of common physical symptoms caused by traumatic events
Shaking, trembling – even weeks or months after the traumatic events, the victims could feel choked up, like having a lump in their throat or experiencing cold sweats.
Unexplained pains and aches – even if they have physically recovered from the injuries they suffered due to the assault, they might still experience unexplained physical symptoms like headaches or changes in sexual function.
Rapid breathing – PTSD patients often have difficulty breathing, chest pains, and a pounding heart.
Feeling faint or dizzy – regardless of how long it has passed since the incident, victims could still sweat excessively from time to time or feel their stomachs churning and tightening.
Changes in sleeping patterns – crime victims often have insomnia or find it challenging to fall asleep because they experience nightmares.
Increase or loss of appetite – sometimes, turning to food, alcohol, or drugs is a coping mechanism for people who have gone through a traumatic event.
How can traumatic event victims cope?
Crime victims must take care of themselves. Regardless of the kind of traumatic event you experience, don’t be too hard on yourself, and allow yourself to understand what happened and recover. Also, don’t think twice before claiming compensation for your damage.
At this link, you’ll find more info about the process:
https://www.compensationcalculatoruk.co.uk/criminal-injuries-compensation-calculator/
Here are some recommendations for taking care of yourself during these challenging moments.
- – Try to maintain your regular routine
- – Take time out for yourself
- – Cry if you feel like
- – Treat yourself to the things you enjoy
- – Stay away from drugs
- – Try exercise to help your body recover
- – Keep a journal and document your thoughts; it might prove helpful during therapy
- – Read books
It’s also crucial to get the necessary support in your journey to recovery. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to talk to your loved ones about what you feel. Tell them what you’re going through so they can help you.
Talk to a specialist so they can provide you with the necessary tools to overcome this episode. It’s crucial to feel safe again, and you’ll achieve this state only if you are proactive in your recovery.
